“being aware of the available rollstock film options will make the road to finding suitable supplies easier”

No one wants to end up with roll stock film that does not meet your specific requirements causing you to waste money and time. Today, we will explore how to choose the right roll stock film by providing an overview of film types, materials used in manufacturing for optimal shelf life, and how to apply the available film size specification to your rollstock machine and packaging priorities.

The Importance of Knowing Your Film Options

Purchasing roll stock film can be stressful as this line of food packaging is generally more expensive due to the function of the fully automatic machinery to produce packages at a large quantity. Contrary to the process of choosing the right bags for chamber vacuum seal machines, you are purchasing entire rolls that are much more expensive. Therefore, being aware of the available rollstock film options will make the road to finding suitable supplies easier and allow you to apply them to the specifications of your individual packaging experiences. Furthermore, become educated on the product materials so you can judge for yourself what best fits the quality you demand!

Roll Stock Film Types

Forming Films (VacForm) 

Forming film is located at the infeed end of your rollstock machine. According to its name, forming film goes through the process of re-shaping into pockets for the food to be placed using heat and air compression. Forming films are occasionally called flexible packaging films, but are not synonymous.

Non-Forming Films (VacSeal) 

Non-forming films do not go through a re-shaping process but are applied and vacuum sealed as the top layer at the sealing station of the rollstock machine, maintaining a consistent thickness.

Easy-To-Peel Film (VacPeel) 

Easy-to-peel films are an alternative to non-forming films. They are manufactured to be easily peeled from the bottom forming-film layer. A peeling layer divider set is required to accomplish this. So when the seal plate lowers, it seals across the corner. Now the packaging is suited to open easily!

Custom Printed Rollstock Films

Looking to upgrade your roll stock film packaging appearance? JVR Industries has just the solution as we provide custom printing services with superior print quality. Get a partial or full image printed perfectly every time over the high-gloss VacSeal or VacPeel films. Options include but are not limited to, full-color CMYK, spot coloring PMS, and registered or random repeat custom prints (learn the difference here). Additionally, our in-house prepress technician is a graphic designer who can create a personal design or recreate a label you need a file for!

The Manufacturing of JVR’s Roll Stock Film Line

We are proud to claim every confidence in providing top-quality rollstock film packaging materials with the appropriate variety of options. Why? We have been specializing in vacuum packaging since 1972. With over 52 years of ever-growing knowledge and experience, our packaging products have been constructed and refined, producing form fill seal supplies that are customized based on the request of our customers.

Characteristics for Optimal Shelf Life

Our rollstock films are manufactured with the perfect 9-layer, co-extruded composition to meet all your food packaging priorities. Co-extrusion is a process where multiple layers are pressed together into one to create a laminar structure to produce all of the features necessary for superior puncture resistance and barrier properties to maximize shelf life.

Key characteristics to optimize your packaging experience are as follows:

Superior oxygen and moisture barriers

Excellent sealing properties

Fewer blowouts with our proprietary formula

Film remains flexible even during deep-freeze temperatures due to the “Soft Feel” property

An Overview of the Material Used to Manufacture Film

EVOH (ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer) is found in all our high barrier films and will work with most any packaging application. If shelf life is not of great concern or if all your products are being sold frozen then you may want to consider a medium barrier film. These films are considerably less expensive because they do not contain the costly EVOH layer.

Forming Films: Typically constructed of Polypropylene, EVOH (high barrier), and polyethylene

Non-Forming Films: Typically constructed of Nylon, EVOH (high barrier), and polyethylene

Custom Printed Film: Typically constructed of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and polyethylene

Rollstock Film Sizes

At the initial purchase of your rollstock machine, your manufacturer should provide a film spec that describes the film sizes and tolerances appropriate for your machine. The roll web and diameter are the essential dimensions for selecting the film size. The film spec displays the web specified to match the web width of your machine with a range of +/- 1 or 2 mm.

Chances are, you have already determined the correct film size for your  rollstock packaging machine. Whatever the film specifications are for your machine, JVR Industries provides standard and custom web widths to fit your requirements. However, as a general rule, we highly recommend you request a test roll to ensure compatibility if you plan to transition to any new film supplier.

How To Choose Roll Stock Film Thickness

Forming Films

We carry 4-9 mil forming film as JVR Industries focuses more on flexible packaging applications. However, JVR can also supply customers with semi-rigid and rigid film structures. When choosing the thickness that fits your needs consider the following factors:

Questions?

Feel free to email us anytime or call us during our business hours with any questions that may arise! We look forward to helping you in any way we can that will make the vacuum packaging journey easier!

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Basics of a Busch R5 Oil Change

Today, we share our expertise in a Busch R5 oil change. This article is a Busch R5 Series Oil Change Walkthrough. In this article, we will be showing the oil change on a PRS Mini Series Rollstock machine. The pump we are changing the oil on is a Busch R5 RA 0040 F oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pump.

Before we get started

Before we get knee-deep in this job, please make sure to gather the tools you need from the list below as well as make sure you have enough time to finish the job. Typically these rollstock thermoformers are used very heavily and most facilities can not afford too much downtime. This job is very simple and strongly urge training up a few people in your facility to tend to this matter as needed. So let’s get started with what you will need to get the job done.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Time Required: 15-30 minutes

Tools Required: Busch OEM oil or JVR VacOil, Busch oil filter, filter wrench/pliers, funnel, and chamber vacuum pouch/drain pan,

The following instructions are applicable for any R5 series of Busch vacuum pumps.

Tools Needed

Essential tools for the job include a filter wrench and a funnel. These two tools alone will work in almost any application. If you do not have a filter wrench, you can use pliers instead. Also, have something to catch the oil during the draining process. JVR suggests using a chamber vacuum pouch for easy drain and clean up after the job is completed. If you do not have chamber vacuum pouches at your disposal, a simple drain pan will work just fine. Now you will need the heartbeat of the operation: vacuum pump oil. You can use Busch OEM oil or JVR’s line of VacOil during this process.

Take your pair of pliers and loosen up the drain plug. Before you loosen the plug completely, get something to catch the oil. Depending on the location of the pump and oil drain, traditional drain pans may not provide the best oil-catching configuration. Chamber pouches work great in many applications because they’re flexible but thick enough that you won’t have leaks.  

Push or scrunch the bag partially under the vacuum pump to completely catch oil from the drain. Once your bag is in place, spin the plug out with your fingers. Make sure you don’t let the plug drop into the chamber pouch. After the oil starts flowing, continue to hold the pouch or pan in place as the oil drains.  

Once the oil slows to a trickle and is no longer draining, you can rethread the drain plug and hand tighten it for now so you can move the oil-full bag or pan. Please note: every drain plug has an O-ring around it. Make sure the O-ring is in the proper groove of the drain plug before reinsertion.  

If you’re using a chamber vacuum pouch to catch the oil, give it a good twist, and even knot the bag if you have enough room. Otherwise, you can use a few zip ties to tighten the bag closed. Now you can dispose of the oil in a responsible manner. Grab your pliers again and finish tightening the oil drain plug.

Go ahead and tighten up the oil drain plug with your pliers. Do not overtighten the drain plug because it is made of plastic. About 1/8 of a turn should be relatively sufficient after the plug was hand-tightened.

Once the oil filter is partially loose, grab a chamber pouch or pan. It can be the same one used previously if you have enough room. Cup the bag underneath the filter and under the pump a little. When you begin loosening the last few threads, you’ll see the oil draining out. Make sure you hold the bag tight in place, so it doesn’t make a mess.  

At this point, if you have a helper, they can hand you the new oil filter. If you’re working on your own, ensure the new oil filter is nearby before you start the process. While still holding the oil drain pouch in place, grab a small amount of oil on your finger and rub it around the gasket of the new oil filter. This allows the new oil filter to go on smoothly to get the proper torque. Now you can thread on the new oil filter. Tighten the filter just enough for the oil to stop dripping. Pull the drain pouch away and responsibly dispose of the oil as we mentioned previously.  

After you dry off your hands of oil residue, wipe off the filter and once the gasket touches, give it about a three-quarter turn as tight as you can by hand. Don’t use a filter wrench or pliers to tighten it because that will make it more difficult to remove next time.  

If you’re not sure if the oil filter is on tight enough, run your pump for an hour or so. Then inspect underneath the filter. If you see an oil drip, you’ll need to tighten up the filter a little bit.  

Busch R5 Oil Change: How To Select The Appropriate Vacuum Pump Oil

For a vacuum pump that’s 2 HP or above, we recommend using the #46 VacOil. For pumps smaller than 2 HP, we recommend using the #22 VacOil. Additionally, we have a line of synthetic oils perfect for use in an extreme duty or cold room where your machine is running for extended periods of time.  

After the filling is complete, grab your fill plug. First, make sure that your fill plug has the o-ring still in place. Second, reinsert the fill plug and hand tighten. Once hand-tightened, grab your pliers to give the fill plug a final 1/8 of a turn to snug it down.

Now you know how to replace the oil on a Busch vacuum pump! We hope this article has been extremely informative. Feel free to subscribe to our VacNews articles above for more content like this. If you like our articles, please check out our entire library of VacNews articles below. Lastly, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office. JVR Industries is open from 8:30 am – 5 pm EST to help with all your vacuum packaging needs.

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Registered vs Random Repeat Custom-Printed Rollstock Film

Today, we will discuss the differences between registered and random repeat custom-printed films for rollstock packaging. Our customers often seek further clarification on these terms and how they compare. Let’s explore the characteristics of these two types of custom-printed thermoforming packaging films.

REGISTERED PRINT PROS:

MORE AESTHETICALLY PLEASING

ABLE TO FIT MORE INFORMATION ON A SINGLE PACKAGE

SEAMLESS TRANSITION FOR EX-LABEL CUSTOMERS

REGISTERED PRINT CONS:

REQUIRES HIGHER ATTENTION TO DETAIL

ONLY CAN USE ONE PRINT FOR ONE LOT OF PRODUCT

RANDOM REPEAT PRINT PROS:

REQUIRES LESS ATTENTION TO DETAIL WHEN RUNNING ROLLSTOCK

CAN USE SINGLE PRINT FOR MULTIPLE LOTS OF PRODUCT

RANDOM REPEAT PRINT CONS:

LESS AESTHETICALLY PLEASING

How to set up the artwork file for random repeat custom-printed non-forming film

Random repeat print is quite simple to set up. Typically you need to set up per the width of your roll multiplied by how many lanes are being printed. As far as the advance, you will need the plate size from the printer. All of this information is readily available upon request.

How to set up the artwork file for registered custom-printed non-forming film

The registered print will need to be set up off of the die file provided by the manufacturer of your thermoforming vacuum packaging machine. You need pocket length, pocket width, pack width, top film (non-forming) width, and advance length (repeat length). Usually, the die file will provide all of this information making it easier to forward off to JVR Industries. We require our customers to only send a 1-up file and we can step out the artwork and apply the required distortions for proper printing.

What file types does JVR Industries use?

JVR Industries can use pre-existing files such as .ai, .pdf, .psd, and .jpeg. The file type we require for your specific job depends on what you require of us. If you are looking to just print the file you have, then we need a workable file such as an adobe illustrator file or illustrator pdf file. In the event that your text needs to be edited, we will need the text to be live in the file.

Looking for a brand-new design? No problem! You can leave that up to our in-house graphic designer/prepress technician to tend to. Lastly, if you are considering a recreate, we need any file type. Flattened files like .jpeg might work but depends on the specific scenario. Please feel free to reach out to andrew@jvrinc.com for any custom printed rollstock thermoforming vacuum packaging film requests.

Conclusion

Selecting the type of printing is all dependent on your personal preferences and needs!

Typically, random repeat printed bags only use one color of ink like black. It is not uncommon for customers to use this for things like bio-hazard, recycling, or suffocation warning symbols. Often times this type of printing is so our customers can meet the standards or requirements in their industry.

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What makes up a rollstock divider set?

Getting to know the basics of a rollstock divider set gets you one step closer to knowing more than 90% of the vacuum packaging salesman in the field! Let’s learn more about what makes up a rollstock divider set.

Speaking the Language: Track and Row Rollstock Terminology

Knowing basic track vs row rollstock terminology can help ensure you are ordering exactly what you need! Understanding track and row can cut down on any confusion and slowdowns. Precision when ordering expensive die tooling is essential in maximizing your efficiency.

What are track and row when it comes to rollstock packaging? Track and row is simply how the die is divided up into pockets.

If you are facing the unit of operation, track will be the pockets from right to left. Row, on the other hand, is the pocket from the operator side to the opposing side of the unit. See image above.

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Rollstock Seal Bar Types

What are rollstock seal bar types and what are the differences?

Rollstock thermoforming vacuum packaging machines host two different sealing plates within the sealing head of the unit. The two types of seal bars are the total seal plate and the perimeter seal plate.

Under the seal head is where the seal bar is located. Here you can select two different style seal bars for two different applications. See below for a brief overview for each seal type.

Perimeter Seal Bar Plate

diagram of rollstock thermoformer major components

We created these simple visuals to help identify and understand both the naming convention and basic functionality of these rollstock major components. Understanding the major components of a thermoformer can help you to operate and maintain your unit appropriately. Maintaining your unit requires proper identification. Simple identification helps in ordering the parts and communicating failures well to encourage proper diagnosis. Let’s get into each station and the major components attached to each station.

Forming Station

Compressed air or vacuum forces the forming film against a hot plate and then draws it into a mold to create formed pockets.

Loading Station

Place products into the open pockets. Larger loading areas provide more time to load and a buffer for operators trying to multi-task.

Sealing Station

The sealing film (VacSeal) is the top film that is introduced to close off the bottom film while simultaneously removing up to 99.8% of the air out of the pouch for longer shelf life.

Valves open allowing a vacuum pump to draw air out of the cavities. Introduced gas mixture comes next, if applicable. Heat seal the top film to the bottom, creating an air-tight package in the final stages.

Sealing Head

Under the seal head is where the seal bar is located. Here you can select two different style seal bars for two different applications.

Cutting and Discharge Station

Divide film into individual packages using crosscut (left) and rotary knives (right).

Trim Scrap Removal

The rotary knives trim off the outer edges of the film. 2 types of trim scrap removal are commonly used: vacuum or rewind removal. Collect the film trim using the vacuum or rewinding system.

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“…a horizontally configured packaging machine.”

A very common question for us to receive is: “What is a Rollstock Machine?”

Today, we will answer that question simply!

A rollstock machine, a horizontally configured packaging machine, efficiently packages products. It utilizes heat, compressed air, or vacuum to thermoform pockets in a roll of film. Once formed, the pockets move into a loading station or fill area. Here, the operator places the desired product for vacuum sealing.

After inserting the product, the operator heat seals a non-formed top layer of film onto the pockets, creating an airtight package. Upon exiting the seal region, the operator can use crosscut and rotary knives to trim and refine the packaging, ensuring a clean and professional look.

Additionally, these rollstock thermoformers, also known as HFFS (Horizontal Form Fill Seal) units, significantly improve efficiency and result in visually appealing packaging. By using a rollstock machine, businesses streamline their packaging process, enhance productivity, and achieve captivating product presentations.

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